On this date in 2004, the world lost Ol’ Dirty Bastard, a.k.a. O.D.B., a.k.a. Dirt McGirt.

I had a brush with O.D.B. once. It was an afternoon in the late 1990s and I was sitting in front of the Knitting Factory on Leonard Street waiting for my friend Jordan, when out of nowhere O.D.B. walked by. I was the only one on the street, and he was clearly looking for something. He stopped and asked me if I knew where some club was. Unfortunately, I did not and he went on his way. It lasted all of five seconds. He didn’t identify himself, but I’d come to know his voice and his grill through the video for his early opus Brooklyn Zoo when it was a feature on The Box video channel. There was no mistaking who the man who I couldn’t help was.

So, as you enjoy whatever beverage you will enjoy this afternoon or evening, take a moment to have Ol’ Dirty in your thoughts. Wu Tang Forever.

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